What's Worth Fighting For?
by Darien Ravier
Summary: In the final part, Starfire must fight with Atlas to the death with Robin's life hanging in the balance. Can Starfire overcome her trauma on Tamaran in order to win?
1. Starfire's Abduction

Teen Titans: What's Worth Fighting For?

By: Darien Ravier

Chapter 1:

A lone figure stands in the shadows, taking concentrated deep breaths as if he was preparing for a long distance marathon. In his mind, he was preparing for his moment of triumph. Putting a clear focus on what he wanted the most. It had been months since his last encounter with the Teen Titans and since then, he has been obsessed with them. It wasn't until he learned the true nature of each of the Teen Titans that he would finally be able to make up his mind as to which one was the most powerful of the group. There was Cyborg, the half-human/ half-robot whose strength was immeasurable. But Cyborg was of no interest to him. The boy wonder was clearly trained by one of the best fighters in the world: Batman. His fighting ability would soon rival that of Batman's. But a balance of power fight wasn't what he was looking for. Then there was Beast Boy. Next, Raven, the empath/ telepath who could control any inanimate object by will alone. But this was a power that if she lost control of her emotions, she'd lose control of her powers. Too easily exploited. One in particular was of complete fascination: a girl, an alien, Starfire. She had strength that surpassed Cyborg; a fighting style that was different than Robin's, and to top it all off, she had powerful starbolts that could melt anything they touched. Not only could she conjure these things with her hands and throw them like baseballs, she could create an even more powerful beam of them through her eyes. What was her weakness? What would bring her to her knees? What would it take for her to surrender in a fight or collapse in defeat? These questions haunted him for days until finally, the time came and he was ready to discover the answers.

"Brazilian Fighting Championship!"

"World's Stupidest Jail Breaks!"

"DJ Mixmaster's Sweet Rides!"

Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg were all standing on the couch, arguing over who was in control of the remote control that sit in front of them, untouched. Soon, the three boys start fighting. Behind them, Raven, finally mastering the ability to tune out the boys, sits hovering in meditation, quietly chanting "Azarath Metrion Zinthos" to herself. Yes, she was finally able to tune out the loud arguing of the boys over the meaningless device. That is, until, a couch cushion smacks Raven right in the face, dropping her out of mid air onto the ground. As Raven gathers herself, Starfire enters the room and sees the three boys fighting in front of the TV. "Raven, what are they fighting over, this time," Starfire asked. Raven, pulling the hood back over her head, walks away, responding, "Thirty minutes of empty distractions." Starfire's eyes light up as she realizes what time it is and casually walks over to the TV. Picking up the remote and sitting peacefully on the couch next to the cloud of fighting next to her, she announces, "Friends, let us put aside our combatative negotiations and enjoy a friendly viewing of 'Love is Enjoyable'." As the fighting stops and the boys look in disbelief at the callousness of Starfire, they look at the TV, which doesn't get more than one note into the theme music before the three boys jump Starfire, who screeches in terror as she is jumped by her friends, who yank the remote away from her hands as she lies in a dazed puddle on the ground. "Perhaps a picture in picture viewing," Starfire says as she dusts herself off. She turns to Robin, just as he snatches the remote away from everyone. "Yes, my choice today," Robin announces triumphantly as he sits on the couch and turns on Brazilian Fighting Championship. Starfire turns to see two men in a wire ring, beating each other bloody. As she grimaces, she asks, "What crimes has that man committed to deserve such punishment?" Cyborg laughs, "None that we know of," as he cheers, "Yeah, knock his teeth in!" Starfire is now completely confused, "Then these men are just fighting for the enjoyment of others?" Robin says, "Some of them actually like this kind of fighting." Starfire looks at the TV to see one man kick the other man's shinbone out of his leg as he drops to the ground in pain as the other continues to kick him. Starfire's jaw hits the floor, "Humans actually enjoy going through this?!" Starfire look back at Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy as they are screaming wildly at the TV. Starfire just inches away.

"A nice flight, yes, that will ease my mind," Starfire thought as she tried to force the images of the bloody carnage out of her head. Seeing one man have his face cut open by another man's fist was one thing, but to watch people cheering for it was something else. "How could people delight in the tormenting of others," she wondered, "Where is the fun in watching one person mutilate another person over something as trivial as cheering?" True, she knew how to fight, and she has committed her fair share of injuries to some pretty nasty people, but they were bad people. She felt a little remorse for what she did to some of them, but she would always remind herself that they were attacking her first. She'd never forget her time on Tamaran as she trained in her first skills of alien martial arts. She was excited to learn that she would be able to be as strong as her sister in a battle and be able to stand up for her planet and whatever cause may cross her path. She was chosen to spar with another student, who had was a few training levels ahead of her. Every punch, kick, and elbow she through was blocked and countered by the more experienced fighter. This angered her, because she knew she was good. She had practiced and here she was being made a fool of. She would not allow it. The next kick the boy threw, she grabbed his leg and in the blink of an eye, dropped her elbow on his knee, which she thought would have been a simple bruise, but she was still unaware of her strength. Her elbow shot clear through his leg, dropping him to the ground, but leaving his leg still in her arm. She panicked and flew the boy to the nearest infirmary. He was okay, but he would never have the use of his leg again. Feeling such remorse over her damaging of something so promising, she vowed never to allow her skills to be used to hurt others directly. That fighter's shin on TV just reminded her of the boy she mutilated. How anyone could cheer for that was beyond her.

She walked through the park to take in the beauty of the world around her. Here she was, isolated from everyone around her, but in the center of the beauty of nature. She wondered if this is the peace that Raven always sought out when she meditated. Starfire's mind was finally starting to relax when a mechanical claw grabs her foot and pulls her to the ground. Starfire looks up to see a six-legged machine, pulling her closer to it by her leg. Starfire looks at it and says, "It is only fair to warn you that I am not feeling quite like myself today!" Starfire lets loose a barrage of starbolts, but none of them phase the machine. Starfire then give it a blast with her laser eyes, which does equally nothing. "Okay, my starbolts aren't working, let's see how it fairs against my strength," she thought, as she tugged on the arm, which made the machine lose it's footing and slide towards her. "Aha, not as strong as I am!" Starfire then swung the machine around and then dropped it on the ground, shattering it into pieces. Starfire stood up, triumphantly, but wondering what provoked this attack. She had no time to consider as two other machines appeared in front of her, all firing their mechanical arms at her. Starfire flew away, but as she did, the machines sprouted rocket packs and took off after her. Starfire tried flying through the trees in an attempt to lose them, but they machines wouldn't lose her. Starfire flew out of the park and into the city with the machines still in hot pursuit of her. She circled around one building and appeared behind one of the machines as she grabbed it by the legs and hurled it almost one hundred and fifty feet to the ground below her. At that moment, the other machine used its claw to grab her by the waist and pull her closer to it. As Starfire struggled, she noticed that two other machines appeared behind the other to join it. Starfire placed one hand on the claw and charged it with a blisteringly hot starbolt. The claw was starting to shake as the heat from the starbolt began to melt through her glove sleeve as she was pulled in closer. Soon, she was almost within reach of the machine, which opened a compartment below it to store her in. "You will let me go now, please!" Starfire said in a panic as she was almost made prisoner of the machines. But in the nick of time, the heat from the starbolt, which has eaten through her glove sleeve, finally forced the machine to let her go as she turned around and blasted the wounded machine with everything she had, which did obliterate it. Smiling, she looked up at the two other machines, which now had gathered two new similar allies. Starfire charged her hands up, ready to deliver another barrage of starbolts, but the four machines took hold of her arms and legs with their mechanical claws. Starfire was helpless as she was flown away.

The machines finally dumped her on the ground an apartment deck, which once she was released, was covered in a protective metal casing. Starfire realized that she was trapped, but before she had the chance to look for a way out, the door behind her opened and a familiar figure stood in front of her, saying, "Are you alright, Starfire?" Starfire recognized the voice instantly; it was the voice of Spike the Mechanic, who had cleaned himself up, dressed in a nice tan suit, and looked very respectable. Starfire, curious as to her surroundings, approached him and asked, "Spike, where am I? Why have these machines brought me here?" Spike said, "Hey, it's okay. I built them to bring you here." Starfire, angry at this sudden imprisonment over someone she thought was an ally, yelled, "Why would you wish to abduct me? What have I done to you?!" Spike nervously replied, "Nothing, nothing. Actually, my life has gotten better now because of you Titans freeing me from Atlas' control." Starfire grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him in the air, "WHY AM I HERE?!!" Spike said, "Take it easy, I don't want to hurt you. I want to protect you." Starfire put him down, "Protect me from what?" Spike, straightening his suit up says, "From Atlas. Ever since Cyborg defeated him, he's been trying to study up on the Titans, learning about them in every way. He doesn't waste his time on humans, but when he learned that not only you were from Tamaran, but that you were royalty, he decided to make you his next challenge." Starfire said, "But he is unable to repair himself, what threat does he pose to me?" Spike looks out of the viewfinder of his window and says, "He's learned how to repair himself, maintain himself. He can operate his own weapons now. He's even learned how to make himself stronger. He wants one final battle with you, and it's to the death."


	2. The Stakes Are Raised

Thanks to the reviewers who kept me going. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was reading my story. This is my first fan fiction, I have many more ideas planned as well, and I appreciate the support and friendly feedback that everyone has either already offered me or will be giving me. Enjoy the next chapter; it is the second part in a trilogy.

Teen Titans: What's Worth Fighting For?

By: Darien Ravier

Chapter 2:

"She's never late," Robin wondered. It was Starfire's turn to make dinner and although each of the Titans have taken their Pepto Bismol in preparation for another so-called "alien banquet," Starfire wasn't in the kitchen to make her typical gag fest. "Starfire is never late to make dinner," Robin thought, knowing that she's always in the kitchen hours ahead of time, preparing her food. Nor was she in her garden, preparing whatever strange plants she'd use in her concoctions. A further scan of the Titan's Tower showed that she wasn't even in the tower. Starfire was always someone who was on Robin's mind, even though he never mentioned anything to her. Robin was still young and though he was trained in methods of dealing with any type of villain that he came across, being honest about his feelings for other people was something his mentor never taught him. Which would only stand to reason why he would never ask the other Titans for help as he went in search of Starfire. Normally, he let the other Titans do their own thing, but this time, Robin felt that there was something seriously wrong with Starfire and that she needed his help. The first place Robin started was the place he knew she always went to whenever she needed to get away and surround herself with the beauties of Earth: the park.

"Why me?" Starfire asked Spike the Mechanic, who was preparing for her a warm cup of tea in his kitchen. Spike looked back at Starfire and said, "Atlas is a sport fighter. He always wants to test his limits and he always wants to prove how strong he is. It's not to prove to others more so to himself. The one thing Atlas was built for was underground robot fights. And that's all he was meant to do was fight. That's all I built him for." Starfire's bright green eyes grew wider, "You built him?" Spike looked down at his shoes, saying, "It just started as a side project in high school. Soon, I put more and more effort into it. Next thing I knew, I created a monster. I built him to be the best of his kind and he was. He defeated every robot that he came across. Soon, he figured that robots were beneath him and began setting his sights elsewhere. That's when he first heard about your friend, Cyborg. Atlas thought that if he beat Cyborg, he'd prove he's not just a strong robot, but that he was universally strong. But Cyborg beat him and it drove Atlas nuts. Atlas always has to know that he's the best and since he suffered his first defeat, he had to prove his strength to himself again. That's when he became obsessed with repairing himself. He thought that if he eliminated the human error, myself, that he'd finally win his one big match. So when I walked out on him, refusing to repair him, he saw this as his enlightenment, that without the shackles of human oppression, his pet name for me, he would be able to defeat any enemy. But humans were still petty to him. No human could ever beat him, a program that I regret putting in him. I'm sorry, Star, I'm sorry for all of this." Embarrassed, Spike sits on the armchair, hanging his head. Starfire walks up behind him and places a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "It is okay, Spike. I don't blame you." Spike touches her hand gratefully and says, "He's coming for you, though. He says that he wants to put everything on the line for one final fight with the strongest of Cyborg's friends. He studied the Teen Titans feverishly for months and came to the conclusions that not only were you the strongest of Cyborg's friends, but that you were stronger than Cyborg. Atlas wants a final fight to the death because he can't live with two defeats."

"What the hell is this?" Robin asked as he picked up a mechanical claw. Surrounding the mechanical claw were strange incendiary marks that weren't made by any ordinary red, blue, or white flame. The strange discoloration indicated a green fire made these char marks. "I hate it when I'm right," Robin said out loud. "Now I'm sure Starfire's in trouble." "More than you'll ever know," a familiar booming voice said behind Robin. Robin flung around to see Atlas standing behind him, but this time, he's changed. His armor was denser, his arsenal was more accessible, and he had to have gotten bigger since Robin saw him last. He was pushing at least eight feet tall. "And just what do you know about Starfire?" Robin asked the metallic menace. Atlas responded, "I know that you'll see her soon enough." Atlas pumped his arm cannon and fired at Robin, who back flipped to avoid being shot repeatedly. Atlas used the smoke from the explosions to rush at Robin, who was able to slide under his legs, pull out his bo staff at strike Atlas across the back. Atlas, unfazed, turned around and backhanded Robin across the park. Robin slowly got up, still fazed from the power of Atlas' punch. "Now I know what Cyborg went through. Still, I've got to fight. He knows something about Starfire and his intentions are clearly not friendly." Robin saw Atlas rushing at him from a distance and pulled three exploding disks, which he threw at Atlas, all striking their mark. The explosions did nothing, but allow Robin a chance to execute a flawless jumping backspin kick, which connected with Atlas' face. Still, no damage on Atlas and had it not been for Robin's metal boots, he would have shattered every bone in his foot. Robin landed on the ground, only to have his cape grabbed by Atlas, who swung it around him and tossed Robin into a tree. Robin tried to find his footing, but the speed of the throw was too fast for a reaction from him. Robin hit the tree with a SMACK and he plummeted to the ground. Atlas stood over the hurt teen, gloating, "Humans pose no threat to Atlas." Atlas picks up Robin by the neck and begins punching him repeatedly to take the fight out of him. Robin soon collapsed on the ground in a heap of blood and bruises. Robin looked up at Atlas through his one unbruised eye and asked, "Where...is...Starfire?" Atlas said, "I told you, you will see her soon enough." With that Atlas swung a swift right hook that made everything go black for Robin.

Starfire looks around Spike's apartment and asks, "You seem to have become a prince by the looks of your living quarters." Spike laughed and said, "Nah, just a robotics designer. I always spent so much time on Atlas, I never realized that I had other gifts to give the world. Starfire, I don't want to see you get hurt. Everything I have, my job, my money, my life, I owe all of it to the Teen Titans for freeing me from Atlas' control and the least I can do is protect you from my creation if I can." At that moment, a red light went off and Starfire looked frightened. "What is this alarm for?" Spike looked shocked, "Atlas." Within seconds, the entire apartment was sealed off and the living room had become a control room, filled with monitors and controls. Spike sat in front of the monitors and searched for Atlas, who had just entered the building's lobby. Spike punched a few buttons and four walls sealed Atlas in. From overhead, at least twenty missile launchers fired repeatedly on Atlas. Spike and Starfire couldn't see anything through the smoke. Starfire asked, "What of the other people living here?" Spike said, "Relax, I don't just own this apartment, I own this whole building as well. And I designed it to keep him out." On the monitors, Atlas was attacking the missile launchers and has broken through the metal walls and began to walk up the stairs. Spike typed a few more times and the stairs quickly folded in above Atlas, blocking him on the second floor. The walls then began to fire motion sensor lasers that seem to cut Atlas, but Atlas began using the lasers as steps and started climbing the walls by digging his fingers in. Starfire said in astonishment, "He is surprisingly resilient." Spike replied, "Rage can do that to people." Atlas began climbing the walls when pendulums came out of the walls and began attacking him. Atlas couldn't hold onto the walls and fight them off, so he let go without thinking and plummeted to the ground. The second he hit the ground, the wall next to him opened. Before Atlas had a chance to react, a gigantic piston smacked Atlas from the side and knocked him out of the open wall. Atlas was thrown out into the streets. As Atlas stood up and began to make his was towards the building again, the entire building became surrounded in a protective metal casing, armed with hundreds of cutting lasers. "Yeah!! Let's see you break through walls that I made you out of!!" Spike yelled triumphantly. Atlas merely stood on the ground, looking up at the apartment. "TAMARANIAN!!!" Starfire heard Atlas' yell even through the protective shell. "I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU!!!" Atlas bellowed and heaved something at the apartment balcony. Starfire ventured over to the balcony to discover what it was. She picked up Robin's utility belt and cape. Starfire's eyes widened as she saw the blood stains on the cape. She was someone who always valued her friends and never wished to see any harm come to any of them, but Robin was one that she seemed to have more feelings for than her other friends. Something inside her that told her if he ever left, she wouldn't be as complete as she was. The sight of blood on his cape triggered a rage in her that she never felt before. She was about to take off after Atlas, but Spike and every machine he had at his disposal held her back. "Starfire, no, he'll kill you!!" Spike pleaded. Starfire, filled with rage, yelled, "I don't care!! You will return Robin now and pay for any damage that you may have inflicted on him!!" Atlas looked back up and said, "Not nearly the amount of pain I will inflict on you! You will meet me in the robot fighting arena below town tonight at eleven! The mechanic can tell you how to get there! Come alone or else you will never see your friend, Robin, again!" Atlas pounded the ground with his fist, creating a gigantic hole, which he dove into, disappearing. Starfire flung the robots and Spike off of her back. "Tell me how to get there!" she demanded from Spike. Spike said, "Starfire, no, he'll kill you!" Starfire grabbed Spike by the collar and lifted him in the air violently. Spike said, "Star, I'm your friend, please." Starfire relaxed, but as she did, her eyes got watery as she thought of the possibility of never seeing Robin again. "Please, Spike, I do not care about what happens to me any more. I want my friend to live. Much like you wanted me to live. You said you owed the Titans for saving you; well I owe Robin for just as much. Help me." Spike's eyes shifted as he considered what Starfire was asking of him.

Robin awoke with his hands bound above his head, his shirt and cape torn off, his wounds still open and bleeding and Atlas standing in front of him. "Two minutes until eleven. I didn't think you'd have recovered by then." Robin tried looking around, but the spotlights and his disoriented disposition made focusing on where he was difficult. "Where am I?" Robin asked. Atlas responded, "You are where those with something to prove go to have them proven." Robin was able to distinguish the loud noise of a crowd in the background, chanting and cheering. "And you are also where those go to satisfy their bloodlust." Robin was able to focus his eyes to realize that he was being suspended above an arena. This was no ordinary arena, though. There was an electronic dome that prevented anyone from flying out. The walls were reinforced triple-fold to make sure that none inside could escape, no matter how strong they were. "And you are one minute away from your death." Atlas said as he pointed a cannon right at Robin's face. "I will put it to you simply, human, either your alien friend shows up to do battle with me or I will execute you here and now. Either way, the crowd came to see a death and Atlas never disappoints his audience." As the crowd cheered at their hero, Robin could sense that death was in the air and was imminently making its way.

To Be Concluded...


	3. My Name is Starfire

Well, it has certainly been a very interesting thing here, working on the Teen Titans episode that I thought I'd never see. Just a word of advice to the squeamish, this chapter is going to be graphic and bloody. It's also twice as long as my other two chapters put together, so it's a bit of a chore to read. I hope that no one takes offense to it, but I hope that a lot of you enjoy it and maybe recommend it. Once again, thanks to all of you that encouraged me.

Teen Titans: What's Worth Fighting For?

By: Darien Ravier

Chapter 3:

"Thirty seconds, Robin" Atlas yelled as Robin stared down the barrel of a very large arm cannon. "I'd rather die than have Starfire face a monster like you. What could you possibly get out of beating a teenage girl to death?" Atlas replied, "She is no ordinary girl, she is more powerful than she realizes." "Then we shall see just how powerful I am!" said a strong feminine voice from across the arena. Atlas turned around and Robin hung his head in fear as he recognized the voice belonging to his close friend, Starfire, who stood with a conviction she never knew that she had. Behind her, the doors of the arena slammed shut and were locked intensely as a deep hum sounded overhead as the electronic protective roof overhead charged to full capacity. Robin's chain was pulled backwards into the wall and a similar protective electronic window close in front of him, still allowing him to see the fight, but made no difference as he blacked out from all the blood in his body rushing to his feet. As the fighters were announced overhead, they sized each other up with their eyes as they heard the announcement, "...this fight will take place under Robot Fighting Stadium rules, meaning each competitor will battle until the opponent is rendered obsolete." "Obsolete," Starfire thought, "For me, that means dead." Overhead, the roar of the crowd grew unruly as they waited for the bloodbath. Her eyes squinted as she focused on both Atlas and the severely beaten Robin that was behind him. The sight of her beloved friend in pain almost made Starfire want to rip the person (or robot) responsible for his beating to pieces. Still, she wanted to offer an ultimatum. "Atlas, I offer you this one chance to release Robin and leave us in peace." Atlas laughed, "Hah, you are in no place to give me orders. This is my home and you will fight me like I know you are capable of." "And just how do you perceive to know me so well?"

"I know every aspect of each of the Teen Titans life. From Robin's birth to Cyborg's mechanical layout, from Beast Boy's experimentation to Raven's mother, even to your tragic championship match on Tamaran. That's how I knew I wanted you to be my last opponent because when you are provoked, you are a true challenge."

"So that's it," Starfire thought, "He doesn't want to break me as much as he wants to break my mind. I can not let him." Starfire took a protective stance, squinted her eyes and let out a strong blast with her eye beams. Atlas reacted quickly, leaped over the blast and landed in front of Starfire. Before Starfire could realize just how fast he appeared in front of her, Atlas landed a strong right hook that connected with the young Tamaranian girl's pretty face, knocking her clear across the arena. Starfire had been punched by many strong opponents in her life; Cinderblock, Mammoth, even her own sister Blackfire, which she thought was the most painful punch she ever took. But as she stood up and massaged her jaw, she knew that she had just been hit harder than she had ever been hit in her life. Starfire, for the first time, feared for her life as she looked up to see Atlas charging at her, throwing punch after punch, trying to land another painful blow to Starfire, but this time, she was ready and dodged each punch perfectly. As she ducked Atlas' third punch, she found herself directly under his head, which she used to her full advantage as she clenched her right fist and threw a powerful uppercut that knocked Atlas back to his side of the arena. She watched Atlas get up, but she noticed a small shadow on his chin. As she looked closer, Starfire could see that she had dented his chin with one punch. Feeling confident, she flew up in the air so she could get a clear shot with her star bolts as she fired one after the other like a mad baseball pitcher. The bolts rained down on Atlas like a hailstorm of fire. Atlas brought his hands up as he took steps back from the lethal star bolts Starfire was letting loose. Atlas aimed his arm cannon at Starfire and fired a quick missile at her, which she ducked, but the explosion from behind her thrust her towards Atlas, who threw a quick jab in her face. Starfire's head jerked back as she fell back to the ground. Atlas jumped in the air and prepared to land on the downed Starfire, but she flew across the ground, out of his way and back in the air, throwing more starbolts. Atlas countered them with seismic blasts from his arm cannon. Within in a flash, Atlas reconfigured his arm and fired a strobe blast that blinded Starfire. As she rubber her eyes, she felt a strong metal hand grab her ankle and throw her to the ground. Starfire cracked the ground beneath her from the force of the impact. Before she had a chance to get to her knees, Atlas blasted her in the back with an inferno charge that made Starfire arch her back instinctively out of pain. She got to her feet only to be hit with a two-punch combination from Atlas that dropped her back to the ground.

Robin's eyes had begun to regain their focus as he saw Starfire taking punch after punch to the face and body. Robin pulled on the chains around his arms, trying to free himself so he could protect Starfire. But he was unable to move, which made him angrier. Robin was someone who swore his life to be a hero, which meant that he'd do whatever it took to protect the innocent he came across. Starfire was probably the most innocent person he had ever known and he wanted to protect her, but he couldn't. All Robin could do was muster up enough breath in his lungs to cheer for his friend, "...starfire..."

Starfire's head began to swim from being hit so many times by such painful punches. She regathered herself only to receive another blast from Atlas' arm cannon, which made her body scream from the fire that engulfed her. As the flames died off, she saw him reloading his arm cannon. "I have to take his weapon out now while I have the chance." Before Atlas could aim, Starfire flew full force in front of him, hands charged with starbolts as she clenched them both into a double fist and hammer punched Atlas' arm cannon repeatedly. Parts began to fly off and the metal began to crack as Starfire hammered Atlas' arm cannon until it was useless. Atlas backhanded at Starfire, who flew backwards to avoid the punch. Atlas disconnected his now useless arm cannon and refitted it with another hand. Starfire, now a safe distance, began throwing more starbolts at Atlas, which he recoiled from as they began to make his metal skin glow from the heat. Starfire's hands began to blister from the amount of heat she was trying to generate in order to keep Atlas away from her. She was amazed that she was able to inflict such damage on him. She was even more amazed when Atlas came charging at her and caught her wrist before she could throw another Starbolt. Starfire saw that he was about to throw a punch to her face and before it connected, she grabbed his wrist and they both locked up each other's hands in a test of strength. Starfire could hear the gears and pistons firing at full force inside Atlas as she tensed every muscle in her body. She soon felt every muscle in her body, even some that she never knew she had as she tried to hold Atlas up. Atlas leaned his head close to her and said, "What are you waiting for, you can fight better than this! I demand an even fight!" Starfire grunted as she tried to hold Atlas back. Beads of sweat began to form on her arms and forehead they locked up for what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes. Atlas looked at her and simply laughed, "Tired already? I have plenty of energy to spare!" Atlas's inner mechanisms began to whir louder as Starfire felt the strain on her muscles as they felt as if they were about to tear. Starfire grinded her teeth as she struggled to keep him from overpowering her. Soon, Starfire let out an ear-piercing scream out of strenuous pain.

"Anyone seen Robin or Star?" Beast Boy asked while Cyborg had him in a headlock. "Yeah, usually Robin's here to put up more of a fight for the remote." Cyborg said, letting go of Beast Boy, who frowned at his statement. At that moment, Raven entered in a bit of a daze and walked over to the kitchen to make some tea for herself. Cyborg notices Raven looking weird and asks, "Hey, Raven, you alright?" Raven takes a sip of her tea to calm her nerves and said, "Something strange. I was trying to find Starfire and all I could feel was pain. I don't know what it is, but something's not right." At that moment, their TV monitor flipped on and Spike the Mechanic was on screen, "Yo, Titans, you guys there?!" The three teens flipped out at the abruptness of Spike's appearance. "Guys, it's Starfire. Atlas used Robin to make her fight him." Cyborg's red eye lit up with anger, "Atlas!? You used to work for him, how do we know we can trust you?" Spike said, "We don't have time, Atlas wants to fight her to the death." Beast Boy stepped forward, "How do we get there?" Spike replies, "I'll meet you at Tyler's Bar on Jack's Street. I'll show you how to get there."

Starfire was down on one knee, still trying to hold Atlas off of her in this test of strength that never seemed to end. "Give it up, Tamaranian," Atlas taunted, "You are weakening and I have strength to spare." Her breathing became more and more labored as she started to charge her hands with starbolts that shined from bright green to nearly yellow from the amount of heat being given off. Starfire said, "Strength is nothing unless you know how to use it." Her Benzo Master's words coming from her mouth Soon, she got back up on her other foot, began groaning, then lifted Atlas up over her head and with a loud scream, she tossed him across the floor. "Beskrig," Starfire said weakly before collapsing on the ground. Both Atlas and Starfire lay on the ground, exhausted. Atlas leaned over and said, "I told you that you were strong. Your friend Cyborg couldn't even last this long against me. Now, show me the skills that you learned from your planet." Starfire thought of her battle again, how she paralyzed her opponent because she didn't keep her strength in check. "Never again," Starfire said, "I do not wish to destroy things needlessly." Starfire saw the aggravation build in Atlas' eyes as he struggled to stand up to continue the fight. Starfire, likewise, stumbled as she stood up. Atlas walked over to Starfire, who charged a starbolt in her hands and as she swung her arm to throw it, he smacked her hand away, sending the starbolt away from the both of them. With one quick blow, Atlas landed an uppercut that lifted Starfire off of her feet, but Atlas delivered a swift sidekick that connected with the side of her face. Starfire moaned in pain as she fell to the ground again. As she got on her hands and knees, her hand slipped on something wet. As her eyes focused, she looked at her hand to see what it was touching. It was blood. Not just any blood, but blood that was pouring from her jaw from that kick. Starfire had never bled in a fight before. She was always able to get the upper hand before any serious damage was done to her. Not this time, though. The audience began to scream with enjoyment. This is what they were waiting for, blood. She heard the screams, "Yeah, make her bleed some more!" and "Tear her damn head off!" As gulped back the air, she swallowed a few drops of blood from her jaw. She felt the bruises forming on her face, she felt the strain on her muscles, she felt the blisters on her hands from the starbolts, and she felt the heat coming off of her body from being shot, now she is tasting her own blood. Again, Starfire felt that sensation where she feared for her life. "I must strike and strike hard to keep him from hurting me anymore" she said to herself. Atlas was about to bring his fist down on her in a hammer motion when Starfire swiftly turned around and began landing a barrage of punches to Atlas' face. Uppercuts, hooks, jabs; all thrown so fast that Atlas couldn't put up a defense for them. "I want to see more dents in his face!" Starfire thought. She had never thought like this before. What was going on inside her mind?

"I've never seen her fight so hard," Robin said to himself, "She knows she's fighting for her life. What the hell is wrong with this crowd that they'd cheer for the blood of a girl?" Robin kept thinking about brighter times he had with Starfire. For some reason, he thought of being on the balcony of Starfire's marriage to Glurtelskletcha and how he could only watch as she had to fight her sister. It killed him to watch her get hurt. Why did he feel this strong towards her? Why was he more concerned with her well-being than the other Titans, even his own? Still, all he could do was cheer her on. "Come on, Starfire! You've got him! Keep it up!"

Starfire heard the cheers of her friend and how he was supporting her. "This is why those masochists on TV enjoyed fighting for cheers," she thought, "They make you feel good that someone cares for you." This only made Starfire fight harder. She didn't want to disappoint the only person in the arena that mattered to her, maybe the only person who did matter to her. Atlas threw two hooks, which Starfire easily blocked and came back with three jabs to Atlas' face, causing more dents. "I would go through all of this for him?" she thought, "I care for my friends, but none of them have this kind of effect on me." Soon, she had something to fight for; living to express the joy that replaced the fear in her heart. Every time Atlas came at her with a series of punches, Starfire blocked them and countered with a series of her own that were too fast for Atlas to fend off. She had done it, after more than an hour of fighting, she had been able to figure out the fighting techniques of her opponent, the way her Benzo Master used to teach her how to read her opponents. Starfire got bolder with her moves, sweeping his feet, kicking his midsection repeatedly, arm tossing, and landing a backspin kick to his face that knocked him to the ground. Soon, Atlas' face was so mangled and distorted from the sheer force of Starfire's blows, that it could no longer hold one of his ocular scanners in place anymore. His "eye" fell to the ground and landed in front of Starfire, who crushed it with her boot. With his one eye, Atlas looked up to see a fire burning in Starfire's eyes that wasn't coming from any eye beam. "Good, Tamaranian," Atlas said, "I see my time wasn't wasted after all." Starfire lifted him up by his neck and said, "My name is Starfire. SAY IT!!" And with that, she unleashed a flying uppercut that almost took his head off of his shoulders. Instead, he back flipped and landed on his back from the blow. "I am a person," Starfire said, "I am a living thing and it is not right for people to destroy living things for sheer amusement." She swung a wild right hook, which Atlas moved away from and Starfire's punch forced her to swing around. Atlas took advantage of this blind spot and delivered a strong punch to her mid-back. Starfire screamed in pain, since it was still searing back there from the inferno blast from earlier. Atlas took advantage of this, holding her head to keep her from turning around and using his other free hand to punch her back repeatedly. Starfire was now in so much pain that she could hardly scream.

"Okay, we're here, now where's that mechanic guy?!" Beast Boy asked in a panic. Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven are all standing in front of Tyler's Bar on the corner of Jack's Street. Raven looks at Cyborg, who is intently scanning the area. "See anything?" Raven asks. Cyborg answers, "No. And if Starfire is really fighting Atlas, then I have to help her." "Don't worry, Cyborg," said a voice from inside the bar, "We'll find her." The Titans turned around and saw Spike standing in the doorway. "It's good to see you all again, sorry it has to be under these circumstances." Cyborg asks, "Where is Starfire?" "I'll take you," Spike answers, "and I'm sorry for all of this. I truly am. Come on, let's find your friend." With that, Spike leads the teens around the bar in into an underground doorway in the back alley.

"He wants to go for my back, now?" Starfire thought, "Fine, let's see where this lands." With one powerful back kick, she connects with Atlas' gut, who doubles over. Starfire can hear the sounds of the once powerful gears and motors inside him stalling and sputtering. Starfire is finally causing damage to this robotic giant, but her face is now opened and bleeding over her eye, on her head, her nose, and her lip. They both look like they've gone through the ringer, but neither fighter has been "rendered useless," so Starfire continued her assault on Atlas. But this time, her punches and kicks aren't as fast as they used to be. Starfire learned this when Atlas caught one of her roundhouse kicks, grabbed her leg, then reached out to grab her shoulder, lifted her over his head and then dropped her back on her knee, which made a sickening wet snap. Starfire was frozen in a moment of pain, which pulsated throughout her body. Now, the blood started rushing to her head, causing her to get dizzy. So much pain all over, so tired. She crawled across the arena in a state of confusion. How long had she been fighting? Hours? She didn't have time to think because Atlas used this moment to drop his elbow on her back, dropping her to the ground. As Starfire's eyes began to tear up from the pain, Atlas dropped another painful elbow across Starfire's back. Starfire lay motionless on the ground.

Robin had seen this before. Back when he fought with Bane that horrific night in Gotham City, he remembered when Bruce Wayne was crippled in that fight. How Bane had nearly beat him to death. All for Gotham City. Robin nearly watched his mentor die from a broken back, now he had to helplessly watch everything replay in front of him again. Robin struggled ferociously to get free from his chains. No good. They were too strong and Atlas had removed his gloves, so there was no lock picking equipment he could use. His utility belt was gone as well, so that option was gone. Robin wanted to turn away, but the loud crunches made him keep watching in case Starfire was able to actually pull off a win. "You've got to win, Star," Robin thought, "You have to make it through this."

Atlas picked Starfire up off the ground by her head and wrapped his arms around her. Starfire's eyes grew wide and she gritted her teeth as Atlas began to squeeze. Atlas breathed, "Good fight, Tamaranian, but you still disappoint me. I expected so much more from you. Now I will end this fight." Atlas' motors and gears began to grind as he tightened his grip over Starfire. The blood began to rush all over her body again. Her ears began ringing loudly, but not so loud that she didn't hear the two snaps from her ribs. Starfire's eyes began to glaze over. Soon, Starfire let out one final scream right before she went limp. Atlas loosened his grip and Starfire collapsed on the ground. Starfire's eyes were shut and she was not moving. A hush fell over the crowd as they leaned in to see if it was truly over. Atlas looked up at the crowd, who applauded his victory. "You see, Tamaranian, this crowd loves me for what I give them. This 'sheer amusement' as you call it is what I feed on. These people love me for what I can do for them." With that, he raised his boot over the limp body of Starfire and began to bring it down. Then in the blink of an eye, Starfire caught his leg in the same manner that haunted her memories on Tamaran. Unable to get his leg back, Atlas looked at the rising Starfire with sheer terror. "My name is Starfire and this crowd would cheer for me to do the same thing." And with that, she dropped her elbow on Atlas' knee, dislocating it. Not satisfied with the result, Starfire dropped her elbow on his knee again, this time, taking it clear off. Atlas rolls around on the ground. Starfire levitates over Atlas and begins to deliver a barrage of ferocious punches that haven't been seen on Earth. Starfire uses her palm to shatter Atlas' right hand, then she drill punch his mid section to drive him into the ground. Soon, Atlas is reduced to a heap of spare mechanical parts as Starfire hovers over him. The crowd is going nuts for her. She merely turns to Atlas, "See, they are cheering for me now, but does that make me any better than you? I will let you live, but only to live in peace." Atlas grows angry with her, "You would let me live like this?! If you do, I would only repair myself and keep coming after your friends. I can't allow the Titans to humiliate me twice and live." Starfire hangs her head and says, "Then I am sorry for what I have to do." Starfire spins in a circle, pulls Atlas' head to one side, then uses her other hand to slice through his neck, taking his head clean off his shoulders." Atlas' head goes flying across the arena as the motors inside his body finally grind to a halt. Atlas' head looks at Starfire and with his last amount of energy says, "Very good fight...Starfire." With that, the light in Atlas' eye finally goes out. Starfire flies over to the chamber that has Robin bound. She destroys the lock and then blasts his chains with a starbolt. Robin falls to the ground, but Starfire catches him. Starfire's hands are behind Robin, still clenched in fists and shaking violently. "My hands, Robin. My hands are shaking." Robin tries to calm her, "It's okay, Star, it's okay. You can relax now, you can relax. It's over. It's over. The fight is over, Star. You won. You won, Starfire." Starfire stops shaking and finally floats towards the ground, but doesn't place her feet on the ground. Robin looks down and notices that her legs are completely limp. He looks into her eyes as she says, "I do not feel like I won." At that moment, the wall behind them is blasted open and Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and Spike rush inside. They are shocked at the carnage left on the ground. Raven silently says, "Oh no." as the Titans turn to see a bruised and bloody Robin being held up by an even more bruised and bloody Starfire. They all stare wide-eyed at their damaged friends. Starfire turns to see everyone and waves weakly, saying, "Hello, friends" before collapsing unconscious in Robin's arms. Robin struggles to hold her up, but the other Titans rush behind him to hold them all up. Robin then blacks out himself.

Starfire wakes up in her bedroom in Titan's Tower with Raven sitting over her, reading a book. Raven looks up from her book and says, "Hey, you feeling okay?" Starfire looks down at her legs, covered in a blanket and says, "I think so. How long was I out?" Raven says, "A couple of days. It would have been longer if we used typical medicine to treat you, but I used a few spells and you'll be as good as new by tomorrow. Till then, your back's still broken, so you'll be stuck here for a day or so. You've got another visitor who hasn't left your side." Raven turns around and shows Robin sitting in the back corner, scars healed and looking perfectly normal. Starfire looks at Raven, knowing she used the same healing techniques on Robin as well. "Hey, I hate waiting for modern medicine," Raven said. Robin walked over to Starfire and asked, "You're going to have to teach me some of those moves, okay, champ?" Starfire managed a weak smile. Starfire said, "Robin, I am sorry that I couldn't have protected you from being injured." Robin laughed," You're sorry, I should be sorry for not helping you fight Atlas. I don't like watching you get hurt." Starfire and Robin just stared at each other in silence. Both of them were thinking the same thing, but neither had the courage to say it out of fear of what it would do between both of them. "If we were to date," Starfire thought, "I would only put him in more jeopardy. I can't tell him how I feel." Starfire said, "I also did not like seeing you in pain. I think that..." "I love you." Robin said. Starfire looked at him shocked. "When I was hanging there, watching you get beaten, I could only hope that you'd survive so that you could truly know how I felt. I didn't mind getting hurt for you, but watching you get hurt tears me apart inside. So I told myself, if she survives this, then it's time I told her the truth about how I felt. I just hope that by my saying this, there won't be..." Starfire grabs Robin and plants the biggest kiss on his lips. The kiss was unexpected at first, but Robin's lips soon loosened up and engulfed Starfire's. "I, too, feel strong love for you, friend Robin." Starfire said confidently. Raven picks up her book and leaves the room, smiling for the two. "Finally," Raven thought, "they started being honest with each other." Raven closed the door behind her, leaving Robin and Starfire in the room together. Robin picks up the remote control for Starfire's TV and turns it on to her show, "Love is Enjoyable." Robin curls up with Starfire and hands her the remote. A few seconds pass and Starfire changes the channel to Brazilian Fighting Championship.

The End


End file.
